What's with the mice?

What is with the mice? So many children's novels for six to ten year olds have mice as characters. I have students who are addicted to Geronimo Stilton and will read any of the series of books that started with him. I have Year 2 students who 'just love' Emily Bearn's Tumtum and Nutmeg series, even boys. In a quest to stretch these good readers I bought some other titles with mice as main characters. Four that I bought were beautiful hardback books, 'ooh just like Despereaux' said one of my girls and readily embarked on Cynthia Voigt's Young Fredle. Back she came saying, 'this was good, what next?', so then she read Bless This Mouse  by Lois Lowry. Such good authors writing for younger children, what a joy! The other two were Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck and  A Nest For Celeste by Henry Cole, also good reads with quality black and white illustrations.

So you can imagine my joy recently when I saw a small hardback novel about a mouse written by Rosemary Wells and illustrated by the Redwall illustrator, Christopher Denise called Following Grandfather. I bought it and went home to read. It is not in the same category as the books above. In fact I am not sure who it is for.  What audience did Rosemary Wells have in mind? It is about a very close, warm relationship between Jenny and her grandfather. He seems to have raised Jenny because her parents are busy running a restaurant, but then he dies and Jenny is left 'searching' for him. So yes, it is a book about death and the severing of strong ties. Is this for all eight year olds or specifically for a child in need of reassurance after the death of a grandparent? It is set in Boston and draws on the history of Italian immigration to that area and this context, I think will be difficult for young Australian readers. Jenny is named for her grandmother, Jennie, so why change the spelling of the name?  It is a warm, well-written story and the opening paragraph kept me reading. It is also a lovely looking book with crisp white paper and appears to be the perfect size, but for me, it just falls short of hitting a target.

25th February Cynthia Voight (1942) Narelle Oliver (1960)

While I love Cynthia Voigt's books, she writes for young adults and not for the age group I deal with on a daily basis. An author who does write for the clientele of my library though is Narelle Oliver. She is an Australian, lives in Brisbane and does wonderful things with linocuts, my favourite art medium.

I first got hooked on Narelle's work when I used The Best Beak in Boonaroo Bay in a circle- time-type discussion about how everyone has a special talent and something to offer the whole group. It was so successful and became a class favourite, with students often referring back to it in class discussions when wanting to make a point about strengths and weaknesses.

After that I made a point of following her and 'hanging out' for the next book. When Home came out, I was immediately smitten. I sang its praises to anyone who would listen. I spoke about it at literature workshops, I read it to children and drooled over the art work. Here Narelle has combined linocuts with coloured pencils, pastels, collage and photography. The book is set in Brisbane and like many of her books it explores the loss of natural environment and features the victim animal's point of view. And I can't wait to use it again during Book Week because with 'Across the story bridge' as a theme you have to use a book with such stunning illustrations of the real Story Bridge in Brisbane!

Then last year there was Fox and Fine Feathers and she did it again, a wonderful book with linocuts, a theme from nature and birds who triumph once again. Look at her website http://www.narelleoliver.com and discover everything she has to offer!